Schmoozing and Tinkering
Schmoozing and Tinkering
with the SciSchmooze
Greetings Science Fans and Science Curious,
I spent 25 years working in “emergency services” on fire engines and ambulances. I’m sure you have seen a story about a tragic incident that was “avoidable” or maybe even seen it personally. Let’s just say that I have seen a lot of them. One of the things that always set me back was thinking about why it even happened. There are so many senseless and avoidable things that could easily be avoided if someone just paid a bit more attention and considered what they were doing. Mind you I’m not talking about calculated risk taking like skydiving, mountain climbing, or even the most dangerous activity (actually that is a prime example!-) we do. Look, we all take risks, we have to, just to get through the day. But I contend that by having a reasonable awareness and knowledge of science we can all enjoy life more with our families and friends. Like everything science does have limits and there is a lot of stuff that is touted as science that really doesn’t rise to that level of scientific knowledge and understanding. (Note: That may be one of the most important videos I have ever shared with the SciSchmooze!) Shop for ideas carefully… listen now to Paul Staley: The Marketplace of Ideas I’m also reposting this one!! The Case for Living Scientifically | Nautilus Behind the Scenes
So how do we learn or teach people how to recognize risk and maybe the consequences of too much risk? For me I look back to my high school physics teacher, Mr. Gielow. A week doesn’t go by that I don’t use something Mr. Gielow taught me to figure out a solution to something I’m making or fixing. Why am I going on like this? Because I have been helping install The Art of Tinkering at the explOratorium. It’s the closest thing to how Mr. Gielow taught physics. You push on something, stack something, blow or pull on something and you realize that you can learn something simple and apply it to something else and it will all make more sense and lead to a deeper appreciation of what we take for granted. This is a great time to go to the explO. You don’t even have to go in to play at Middle Ground. It’s free and right on the Embarcadero.
I have said before that science is a great way to help us understand just about anything the universe has to offer. It does get tough when you add human emotion and perception though. That’s where art really comes in to its’ own for me. Check out Poetry of the Cosmic Perspective (chapter 3 of The Animated Universe in Verse (the video is at the end of the intro for these))
As always there are some fun and interesting new things to catch this week. Here are a few that look particularly cool…
Animal Queendom Tue @ 6:00 (see the Wonderfest option at the website)
Bair Island Interpretive Walk Fri @ 10:00
Investigating Space: The Peregrine Has Landed Sat @ 1:00
The Leviathan of Parsontown - Livestream Sat @ 7:00
In the upcoming week we will get some more treats from the sky… 6.21.22 @ 03:12 is the start of summer, but the festivities continue!
Dr. Alex Filippenko sent along this info for Fri 6.24… Five naked-eye planets arc across the sky from east to west in the correct order of increasing distance from the
Sun: Mercury (low above the eastern horizon), then very bright Venus, followed by Mars (looks reddish orange), Jupiter (bright), and Saturn. Such a ``planetary
parade'' with all 5 planets visible *simultaneously* last occurred 18 years ago, and I think it won't happen again until around 2100 (I might be wrong about this,
but the configuration is quite rare in any case). To top it off, on the early morning of June 24, the waning crescent Moon will appear between Venus and Mars --
representing Earth (since the Moon orbits us) at its proper place in the celestial lineup.
If you want to include Mercury, the best time to view this spectacle will be about 45 minutes before local sunrise: late enough in the night that Mercury will have
had a chance to rise higher above the horizon, but not so late that the sky will be too bright because of the approaching sunrise. Binoculars could help you spot
Mercury (or, use an App such as Sky Tonight, Star Walk 2, or SkyView). To see Mercury, you'll need a very low, clear eastern horizon (i.e., no buildings, trees, hills, etc. in the way), but the other planets will be much easier to see in the southeast sky (and south, for Saturn). Of course, although these planets *appear* close together in the sky, they are actually separated by up to hundreds of millions of kilometers; Jupiter and Saturn are 5 and 10 times farther from the Sun than Earth is, for example.
If astronomy is your thing, check out Exploring the Universe with Andrew Fraknoi (go ahead, subscribe, you know you want to!)
Whales always intrigue most of us! Here are a couple of whale tales. Whale bubble-net feeding and polar bear whale feeding! It would seem that the race for the deep is on. The Race to Explore the Ocean’s Twilight Zone
If you haven’t registered for SkeptiCal 2022 I suggest that you do! It is less than a month away!
I hope that you have a great week and start of summer while learning something new or continuing to enjoy something you already like about science.
herb masters
Reality must take precedence over public relations, for nature cannot be fooled. Richard P. Feynman
Upcoming Events:
Click to see the next two weeks of events in your browser.
Monday, 06/20/2022
Identification of Shorebirds with a Focus on Calidris - Livestream - 06/20/2022 06:00 PM
San Francisco Bay Bird Observatory
The shorebirds are always an exciting yet vexing group for birders. Join us for a talk by Jon Dunn and Lara Tseng to learn about identification of a subset of, certain Calidris sandpipers of the families in this group. In addition to identification, other important aspects will be covered, like plumages, structure, molts, behavior, status and distribution, and how to look at and study shorebirds. Learning shorebirds requires some memorization but more importantly patience, a love, and understanding of the many varied species in these families.
Tuesday, 06/21/2022
Weekday Morning Hike at Rancho Cañada del Oro - 06/21/2022 09:00 AM
Rancho Canada Del Oro Open Space Preserve Morgan hill
Join Peninsula Open Space Trust for an excursion where you’ll explore the Mayfair Ranch - Longwall Canyon trails of Rancho Cañada del Oro! You will be guided by POST Ambassadors who will share with you the history of the preserve, the region, and the importance of conservation in the area.
The hike is moderate to strenuous at about 4 miles round trip with about 700 feet of gradual elevation gain.
This wonderful preserve is a hub for wildlife, such as deer, bobcats, mountain lions, and more! In the Spring, you can expect a colorful array of wildflowers adorning the hillsides, and you may get a chance to see a beautiful little creek running through Llagas meadow.
Free Live NSN Webinar Series: An Overview of the 2020 Decadal Survey in Astronomy and Astrophysics - Livestream - 06/21/2022 06:00 PM
Astronomical Society of the Pacific
Every decade, the National Academy of Sciences, at the request of the National Science Foundation (NSF), the Department of Energy, and NASA, undertakes a survey of astronomy and astrophysics. The purpose of the survey is to identify the most exciting science questions for the coming decade and to prioritize which telescopes the federal government should invest in to best address those questions. Previous decadal surveys have recommended and ultimately led to some of your favorite national telescopes: e.g., the Hubble Space Telescope and the Very Large Array.
A second goal of the survey is to assess the state of the profession, e.g., the diversity of the field, the balance of funding across large and small projects, and other related topics. In this talk I will describe the decadal survey process and the major recommendations of the 2020 Decadal Survey. The scientific opportunities in the coming decade are tremendously exciting and cover topics ranging from the search for life on other planets to studies of collisions of black holes and neutron stars with both gravitational waves and light. The project recommendations made by the 2020 Decadal survey are likely to shape the major astronomical projects that NSF and NASA undertake in the coming decades.
Speaker: Dr. Eliot Quataert, Princeton University
Animal Queendom - 06/21/2022 06:00 PM
Commonwealth Club San Francisco
What does it mean to be female? (... Ovum-producing? ... Nurturing? ... The "weaker sex"?) In her latest book, Bitch: The Female of the Species, zoologist Lucy Cooke reveals a marvelous cast of animals that enlarge our understanding of biological femininity. Rebecca Giggs of The Atlantic, writes: "[Cooke] is motivated to find new ways for humans to see themselves reflected in nature, ... [and not just in] primate, but in venomous intersex moles, hyenas that give birth through their clitoris, filicidal mother meerkates, and post-menopausal orcas." Consequently, our view of humanity as a whole is enriched and enlightened.
Speaker: Lucy Cooke, Author; Brian Hackney, KPIX TV, host
Use promotion code WONDERFESTPROMO to receive free admission to the online version and $10 off in person tickets.
Attend online or in person.
Wednesday, 06/22/2022
Using SPUR as a Testbed for Decarbonization In San Francisco - Livestream - 06/22/2022 09:00 AM
SF Planning + Urban Research Assoc. (SPUR)
Inspired by the call in San Francisco’s Climate Action Plan for commercial buildings to cease use of fossil fuels by 2035, SPUR has partnered with the Danish Energy Agency and San Francisco Department of the Environment to craft a roadmap for how to decarbonize the SPUR Urban Center, our downtown San Francisco headquarters. The completion of the initial study provided us with some good news: the conversion shouldn’t be overly difficult or expensive, a positive indicator for other local building owners who are exploring the potential of decarbonization. We’ll be joined by the study authors and the San Francisco Department of the Environment to hear what resulted from their analysis Urban Center and why the time to start planning to decarbonize your commercial building is now.
Speakers:
Sander de la Rambelje, Danish Energy AgencyAnne Svendsen, energistyrelsenBarry Hooper, CCSFBo Riisgaard Pedersen, Consulate General of Denmark
Register at weblink to receive connection information
Propagation Techniques for Herbs and Perennials - 06/22/2022 12:00 PM
UC Botanical Garden Berkeley
Join us for a lunchtime plant propagation workshop. Learn multiple techniques and best practices to grow new plants from seed, cuttings, and more. This class covers horticultural basics in starting your plants, soil, light and water requirements, and care, with a focus on growing sun perennials including herbs.
Thursday, 06/23/2022
The Dirt on Soil - Part 2 - Online - 06/23/2022 11:00 AM
Post Carbon Institute
Healthy soil plays a vital role in the nutrient density of our food, can help prevent agricultural runoff and erosion, and has a direct impact on our changing climate. And yet, by ignoring what’s directly beneath our feet, we can expect to lose all of the world’s topsoil within a single generation and see a needless rise in the accumulation of greenhouse gasses in the atmosphere.
We'll hear from experts working in this important field on how individuals and communities can regenerate and protect healthy soil locally, nationally, and globally.
Speaker: Don Smith, Kiss the Ground
Time Domain Astronomy - Making A Movie of the Universe - Livestream - 06/23/2022 05:00 PM
Cafe Scientifique Silicon Valley
A new observatory is being constructed to conduct an unprecedented survey of space and time over half the sky and far back into the history of our Universe. The result of ten years of observations will be a digital movie that captures the dynamism of creation to address fundamental questions in four science areas: probing dark matter and dark energy; getting the most complete inventory of the solar system ever done; exploring the transient sky; and mapping the Milky Way.
In this talk, we will summarize why scientists think they can achieve such a bold vision with just one observatory, assess what questions can be answered, and show how a diverse, worldwide community of citizen scientists will join in the quest.
Speaker: Larry Gladney, Yale University
Register at weblink to receive connection information
Pride NightLife - 06/23/2022 06:00 PM
California Academy of Sciences San Francisco
Kick off Pride weekend with NightLife and SF's only all-Black drag show, Reparations. More details coming soon!
After Dark: Pride in Our Work - 06/23/2022 06:00 PM
ExplOratorium San Francisco
Pride is more than a party; it’s the culmination of working people contributing their perspectives to the bigger picture. Tonight, celebrate LGBTQ+ community members who are creating an inclusive future where everyone can be themselves in all parts of their work. Learn how they involve their identities in what they do, and then share your own experiences.
Queer the Future: Climate JusticeWith Jaye Mejía-Duwan, Belinda Ramírez, Yanin Kramsky, and Jason Tester7:30 p.m.Osher Gallery 1, Kanbar Forum
How can LGBTQ+ experiences prepare society to deal with the negative impacts of climate change? This panel of distinguished researchers will help us understand how the queer lens can be a powerful perspective for surviving and thriving in the world to come and a strong foundation for imagining truly transformative alternatives.
Jaye Mejía-Duwan uses ethnographic methods to investigate QTPOC (Queer and Trans People of Color) agricultural collectives as exercises of anti-racist and anti-capitalist queer ecological kinship. Jaye’s work merges theoretical studies in queer-of-color ecology with material practices of social justice work and critical pedagogy.
Belinda Ramírez (they/them) received their PhD in sociocultural anthropology from UC San Diego. Their dissertation research dealt with the social, political, and economic dimensions of urban agriculture in the San Diego Tijuana metropolitan region, and they have engaged in statewide political advocacy for young farmers.
Yanin Kramsky (they/them) is a PhD Candidate in City and Regional Planning at UC Berkeley. Yanin is passionate about research methods that prioritize community involvement and agency, and about creating avenues for underserved youth to affect environmental change in their communities.
Moderated by Jason Tester (he/him), a strategic foresight researcher, facilitator, and speculative designer specializing in the cultural impacts of emerging technologies and social justice futures. Jason is currently a Research Affiliate with the Institute for the Future.
Science at the Intersection
With Germán Silva and Eli Ramos8:30 p.m.Fisher Bay Observatory Gallery 6
Hear from two scientists, artists, and social justice activists about how they have incorporated their identities as LGBTQ+ individuals into their work.
Germán Silva (they/them) is a PhD student in Geography at UC Santa Barbara with an interest in coastal wetland ecosystems. They are an officer and past co-president of UCSB’s chapter of Out in STEM (oSTEM), where they started an oSTEM mentorship program for undergrads, increased grad student participation in the organization, and advocated for better inclusion and consideration of LGBTQ+ individuals in diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives.
Eli Ramos (they/them) is a genetic microbiologist and the head of Aster Podcasting Network (APN), which is dedicated to creating fiction podcasts with diverse casts and characters across multiple genres. Ramos co-piloted the Striving for Trans Inclusion and Anti-Racism in Science Learning (STARS) program at the Exploratorium and the first Trans Day of Visibility event at the museum.
Wigs, Makeup, and Math: A Virtual Exhibit Tour!With Kyne6:00-9:30 p.m.Osher Gallery 1
Want to learn more about math but don’t know where to start? World-class drag queen, YouTuber, TikTok star, and mathematics communicator Kyne is here to help! Tonight, you’ll find Kyne on screens around the museum. Through a virtual tour, she’ll explain math concepts related to exhibits including: The Bell Curve; Big Chair, Little Chair; Binary Adding Machine; Catenary Arch; and Pi Has Your Number.
In 2020, Kyne took to TikTok (@onlinekyne) to make short-form math videos where she tells riddles, gives lessons on history’s greatest mathematicians, and teaches her followers how to spot misleading statistics in media all while dressed in high-glamor drag. Now with an audience of over one million followers across platforms, Kyne spreads her passion for math education and scientific literacy, and brings STEM education to the queer community and queerness to STEM.
Math, Myself, and IWith Kyne6:30-9:00 p.m.Osher Gallery 1, Microcinema
Get to know Kyne through a fabulous recorded interview. You’ll learn how the world-class drag queen, YouTuber, TikTok star, and mathematics communicator got her start, how she discovered her love for math, and how her background informed the person she is today.
Custom Pronoun Button MakingWith the Visitor Experience Facilitators6:30-9:00 p.m.Crossroads
Create your own button showcasing your amazing pronouns! Use a template or blank slate to design, color, and embellish a free button. Then wear it proudly to let everyone know about you and to help normalize introducing your full self to everyone you meet. Our Visitor Experience Facilitator team will be there to help you get your beautiful buttons made.
The Visitor Experience Facilitators are a cohort of informal educators who help guests understand, question, and experience the museum on a deeper level.
DJ Young Ella BakerFrom Hip Hop for Change6:30-9:30 p.m.Moore Gallery 4
Get ready to dance your way through the night as DJ Young Ella Baker from Hip Hop for Change sets the vibe and keeps the party moving!
Hip Hop for Change is an Oakland-based nonprofit that uses grassroots activism to educate people about socioeconomic injustices and advocate solutions through hip-hop culture.
Not a member yet? Join us and get free admission all year long!
Adults Only (18+)
Note: Free for members and donors only a membership card and ID required for entry. The Tactile Dome is currently closed.
Friday, 06/24/2022
Bair Island Interpretive Walk - 06/24/2022 10:00 AM
Bair Island Wildlife Refuge & Trail Redwood City
Join Peninsula Open Space Trust for a walking tour at Bair Island! You’ll be guided by POST ambassadors who will share the history of this beautiful protected space, information about the species that live there, and what you can do to contribute.
This easy 1.5 mile walk with little to no elevation gain will highlight the wetlands and the marine life that live within, such as: endangered Ridgway’s rails, salt marsh harvest mice, cottontail rabbits, peregrine falcons, pelicans, egrets, terns, and stilts. We recommend bringing binoculars to catch sight of some of the beautiful birds at Bair Island.
Limited capacity. Register at weblink
Walk on the Cowell-Purisima Trail - 06/24/2022 11:00 AM
Cowell Purisima Coastal Trailhead Half Moon Bay
Join Peninsula Open Space Trust for a beautiful walk along the Cowell-Purisima trail that POST helped create by protecting adjacent farmland. While it may be foggy, we hope to catch gorgeous views of the ocean, nearby farmland, and glimpses of harbor seals, pelicans, hawks, rabbits, and whales during the winter season.
You will be guided by POST ambassadors who will share details about POST’s work with farmers on the coast, and to create recreational opportunities along one of the most scenic stretches of our state’s coastline!
The walk is moderate at about 5 miles round trip with about 400 feet of gradual elevation gain. It is mostly flat throughout, however, it is quite a long walk.
Register at weblink
Evening with the Stars at Lick Observatory - Sold Out - 06/24/2022 07:30 PM
Lick Observatory Mt. Hamilton
Astronomy Speaker: Enrico Ramirez-Ruiz, UC Santa Cruz
Tickets go on sale April 13 at noon. See weblink.
Saturday, 06/25/2022
BubbleFest - 06/25/2022 10:00 AM
Chabot Space and Science Center Oakland
Chabot’s 2nd BubbleFest celebrates the joy of bubbles with shows, activities, music and more that will blow you away! Learn about the science of bubbles with captivating shows from famous bubble artists and poppin’ activities throughout the Center.
STEM Saturday Summer Science Series - 06/25/2022 10:00 AM
NexGeneGirls San Francisco
The mission of the STEM Summer Science Series is to provide a safe atmosphere for scholars (Girls & Boys) to learn and explore the scientific process through fun hands on experiments.
All participants will develop foundational skills in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math using scientific processes through fun, hands-on science activities, lab experiments, and workshops that convey scientific principles while building self-confidence and developing the skills needed to problem-solve using Science, Technology, Engineering and Math.
Power in the Field - Livestream - 06/25/2022 08:00 PM
San Jose Astronomical Society
In this talk I will show how easy it is to measure the power required to operate all of our typical astronomy equipment from mounts and pcs to dew heaters, camera coolers and everything in between. I will also review the different types of lithium power sources which are becoming very popular among amateur astronomers from all-in-one solar generators to stand alone simple batteries. We will examine the differences between LiFePO4 and LiNiMnCoO2 chemistries and prismatic versus cylindrical battery cells. I will also share the results of nearly two years of testing a number of different lithium based solar generators and stand alone batteries to see how well they operate in the field, the different requirements for recharging each with solar panels and the pros and cons of each type.
Speaker: Curtis Macchioni, physicist
Music of the Spheres: Galactic Archaeology: Uncovering the construction of the Milky Way - 06/25/2022 08:30 PM
Lick Observatory Mt. Hamilton
Artist: Oscar Reynolds and Karumanta
Astronomy Speaker: Matthew Shetrone, UC Observatories
Tickets go on sale April 13 at noon. See weblink.
Monday, 06/27/2022
Climate Change, Our Youths, and Mental Health - Livestream - 06/27/2022 06:00 PM
Commonwealth Club - Online Event
Join us for an in-depth discussion focused on the latest Youth Climate Survey by Blue Shield on how climate change is affecting the mental health of our youth community.
We'll be talking with David W. Bond, who is the director of behavioral health at Blue Shield of California - Promise Health Plan, where he leads initiatives to restore, sustain and enhance the behavioral health and well being of the state's Medi-Cal and Medicare beneficiaries; Joel Castro, a recent San Diego high school graduate and activist; Kat Lee, a youth environmental activist and youth organizer for APEN (Asian Pacific Environmental Network); and Maya Gomez, a Whitney High School incoming junior and a student representative for the Mind Out Loud program.
Register at weblink to attend.
Edge AI Based Flare Monitoring to Reduce Global Warming - Livestream - 06/27/2022 07:00 PM
SF Bay Association of Computing Machinery
This video-based flare monitoring system is developed for real-time measurement of the flare gas flow rate at the edge. Depending on the desired trade-off between speed and accuracy, either an object detection (EfficientDet Dx) or instance segmentation (Mask R-CNN) model is used for real-time detection of flare and smoke instances in the input video stream. Organic and synthetic data is used to achieve high precision and recall (greater than 0.98) for both flare and smoke. The detected rectangular bounding boxes or polygon masks are used to estimate the flame size, and predict the flare gas exit velocity or equivalently flow rate. The estimated flow rate is within +/- 10% of a reference flow meter. The Deep Learning models are “edgified” in order to shrink the size and improve the inference speed by ~3X on small footprint edge devices. For three stacks in the camera’s field of view, the error increases to about +/- 25% of full scale due to the decreased resolution or increased scaling factor (~2.5X). The system components (camera and computing device) can be configured to obtain the desired tradeoff between cost, accuracy and measurement speed. This software product "Flare Advanced" has been deployed. The prior product "Flare Basic" has been deployed multiple times. You can not manage what you do not measure, this product helps to measure global warming emissions in real-time, sending alerts via email or SMS.
Speakers: Greg Makowski and Himanshu Goyal
Tuesday, 06/28/2022
Out in Science 2022 - Livestream - 06/28/2022 01:00 PM
Gladstone Institutes
June Butterfly Walk - First Session - FULL - 06/28/2022 01:30 PM
UC Botanical Garden Berkeley
June Butterfly Walk - Second Session - FULL - 06/28/2022 03:00 PM
UC Botanical Garden Berkeley
Welcome back, Leatherbacks! - Livestream - 06/28/2022 07:00 PM
American Cetacean Society
Wednesday, 06/29/2022
Ask Us Anything: A Special Q&A SETI Talk - Livestream - 06/29/2022 12:00 PM
SETI Institute
AI Sustainability: Using Free Satellite Data for Good - Livestream - 06/29/2022 06:00 PM
UC Santa Cruz Silicon Valley Professional Ed.
Nerd Nite SF #126: Hey Girl! Bingo + DNA Sequencing + Nuclear Energy - 06/29/2022 07:00 PM
Rickshaw Stop San Francisco
Thursday, 06/30/2022
Current Bird Banding Research at the Coyote Creek Field Station and Jasper Ridge Biological Preserve - Livestream - 06/30/2022 06:00 PM
San Francisco Bay Bird Observatory
NightLife - 06/30/2022 06:00 PM
California Academy of Sciences San Francisco
Hardcore Natural History - 06/30/2022 06:00 PM
Pacific Grove Museum of Natural History
Keeping Tabs on the Volcanoes of the Last Frontier - Livestream - 06/30/2022 06:00 PM
US Geological Survey Public Lecture Series
After Dark: Tinkerers’ Ball - 06/30/2022 06:00 PM
ExplOratorium San Francisco